CONGRATULATOIN: Carlos Alcaraz Has Been Recognized As The Best Tennis Player Of All Time, Receiving Different Award From……………………read more.
After defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a surprising upset at the U.S. Open, Dutch tennis player Botic van de Zandschulp is keeping his “lucky charms” close. His career has had its ups and downs, but two Manhattan financiers he knew from childhood in the Netherlands have become an essential part of his “team.”
Van de Zandschulp, who is currently ranked No. 74, has found much of his career success at the U.S. Open. In 2021, he progressed from the qualifiers to the quarterfinals, and this year, he shook up the men’s singles draw by defeating the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Watching from his player’s box were Richard and Victor Pham, brothers who were childhood friends of van de Zandschulp from a Dutch youth tennis program. Although they hadn’t been in touch for 15 years, they reconnected in 2021 during his first U.S. Open run, and a new tradition was born: they meet for dinner and attend all his matches. Van de Zandschulp credits their support as a factor in his success.
The Pham brothers, who were born in Denmark to Vietnamese immigrants, moved to California as teenagers but kept up with their old friend’s tennis career. Both played varsity tennis at Columbia University before settling into finance careers in New York. When they learned van de Zandschulp had qualified for the 2021 U.S. Open, they reached out, rekindling their friendship.
During that 2021 run, van de Zandschulp had no coach, agent, or sponsors, so the Pham brothers filled those roles in spirit, meeting him nightly at a restaurant near his Midtown Manhattan hotel. The trio stuck to their routine as long as he kept winning, fueling his belief in the power of superstition.
After back-to-back second-round exits in the subsequent years, van de Zandschulp chose a new “lucky” restaurant this year, leading to his stunning victory over Alcaraz. Despite recent injuries and early-round losses that had him questioning his future in tennis, his win against the world No. 3 reminded everyone, including himself, of his potential when playing in New York.
Victor Pham joked that the difference in New York might just be their presence and dinners together. The brothers, now van de Zandschulp’s self-proclaimed “lucky charms,” continue to cheer him on as he progresses in the tournament.
